❓ Ms. Rowe asks how the $750 million Climate Action Fund will address climate change and support sustainable jobs. The Minister outlines initiatives including curtailing deforestation, promoting electric vehicles, and investing in renewable energy and green hydrogen.
AnsweredQoN 531Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CLIMATE ACTION FUND
531. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Minister for Climate Action:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's investment in WA's
future, including the establishment of a $750 million climate action
fund. Can the minister outline to the house how this fund will help address the
threat of climate change and support industry in creating sustainable jobs?
531. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Minister for Climate Action:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's investment in WA's
future, including the establishment of a $750 million climate action
fund. Can the minister outline to the house how this fund will help address the
threat of climate change and support industry in creating sustainable jobs?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Belmont for
her question and strong advocacy on this issue. Members on this side of the house, and most on that side, understand that
climate change is real and it is a pressing issue that is the front of mind of our community. Any member who spends any time talking to the community
understands how important this is for the community. A big international
climate change conference is happening in Glasgow at the end of October, early
November. We are not waiting for the federal government to catch-up and wake up
to the science that climate change is real
and the urgency of the situation. All subnational governments around the
country are acting on climate change. They are all setting pathways to
net zero emissions. United Nations member countries are being asked to come
forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets that align with
reaching net zero by mid-century and keeping the rate of warming at 1.5
degrees. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia has already reached
an increase of 1.44 degrees on average. We have to act now. To deliver these
targets, governments need to do a range of things, including curtailed
deforestation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles and encourage
investment in renewable energy. We are curtailing deforestation in Western Australia
by protecting our native south-west timber from commercial logging and
continuing to protect old-growth forests while we restructure the industry to
grow and be more sustainable with a $350 million package for softwood
plantation. That will support jobs in not only the timber industry, but also
the construction industry. We are encouraging the take-up of electric vehicles
with this fund, announcing that 90 new electric fast-charging stations will be
rolled in 45 locations around regional Western
Australia to encourage the uptake of EVs. We are encouraging investment in
renewable technology , something that I know the Minister for Energy is
very passionate about, and supporting the emerging technology around green
hydrogen. We can be a global leader in decarbonising the global economy,
particularly in our region. This budget
commitment shows that we are showing leadership in this area. Climate change is
not only an environmental issue, but also a state development issue.
That is why we are working together as a cabinet to make sure that we have in
place the future of Western Australia and the global climate at the centre of
everything that we do.
her question and strong advocacy on this issue. Members on this side of the house, and most on that side, understand that
climate change is real and it is a pressing issue that is the front of mind of our community. Any member who spends any time talking to the community
understands how important this is for the community. A big international
climate change conference is happening in Glasgow at the end of October, early
November. We are not waiting for the federal government to catch-up and wake up
to the science that climate change is real
and the urgency of the situation. All subnational governments around the
country are acting on climate change. They are all setting pathways to
net zero emissions. United Nations member countries are being asked to come
forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets that align with
reaching net zero by mid-century and keeping the rate of warming at 1.5
degrees. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia has already reached
an increase of 1.44 degrees on average. We have to act now. To deliver these
targets, governments need to do a range of things, including curtailed
deforestation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles and encourage
investment in renewable energy. We are curtailing deforestation in Western Australia
by protecting our native south-west timber from commercial logging and
continuing to protect old-growth forests while we restructure the industry to
grow and be more sustainable with a $350 million package for softwood
plantation. That will support jobs in not only the timber industry, but also
the construction industry. We are encouraging the take-up of electric vehicles
with this fund, announcing that 90 new electric fast-charging stations will be
rolled in 45 locations around regional Western
Australia to encourage the uptake of EVs. We are encouraging investment in
renewable technology , something that I know the Minister for Energy is
very passionate about, and supporting the emerging technology around green
hydrogen. We can be a global leader in decarbonising the global economy,
particularly in our region. This budget
commitment shows that we are showing leadership in this area. Climate change is
not only an environmental issue, but also a state development issue.
That is why we are working together as a cabinet to make sure that we have in
place the future of Western Australia and the global climate at the centre of
everything that we do.
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